THE NEW VICAR OF ST. MARK'S.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 64, 13 September 1911, Page 3

THE NEW VICAR OF ST. MARK'S.

Mr. Askew, vlio has accepted the vicarage of St. Maik"s. Wellington, is comparatively a jonrg man. He graduated^ B.A. at Cambridge jp 1900, m which year he was ordained and a.p pointed to the ciua^j (>t Laistev-Djke. He has been at Ingrow. Vorksniip, since 1906. Porioliionet-s of St. Maik's will be interested to learn, from hie yearly statement, something of the views of their new vicar. On ths sub ject of Communion, Mr. Askew sa\s: "It is difficult to understand how any earnest Christian and Churchman can be satisfied with less than a Tegular monthly attendance at the great and central act of Christian worship — the Holy Communion." The mi.s&ionaiy spirit, again, which has led Mr. Aekew to offer his services in New Zealand is evident in another passage : "It is my belief that every parish should 3end at least one-tenth of the total amount of the Church collections to foreign missions. One of the signs of a healthy Church life is to be found in the amount of money contributed to outside objects. I'o my mind a parish that is only living fox* itself is not justifying its existence. I am justly proud of a parish and people which recognise their outside duty, for a narrow parochialism is one of the curses of the age, and can neither receive nor give any great blessing." Mr. Askew was educated at Hawkshead Grammar School (Wordsworth's old school) and at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He wa-s six years at Laistcrdykc, which is a suburb of Bradford, taking up work amongst both men and

womon. His men^ tla?s numbered 300 and women's 250. From Biadfnd Mr. Askew went to Blackburn, where he was curate undor the prcyonl Bishop Thornton, of Ballarat. and had chargo of elevs-w; of almost 800 each of men and women — pome of thp best known clashes in Kngland. Ho w-i.- there oul\~ a slmrt time when tho Bishop of Ripou appointed him to the po«t which he is now resigning — a^ largo parish of iftOOO people and four clergy. During the la-t>t year (writes our London correspondent) the parish has been divided and a beautiful church opened free of debt and a vicarage ghen. The endowment is now being prrancjed. Mr. Askew is careful Io explain that the whole credit for this branching out is due tr> <ho rnratp m charge of the mission district, the Rev. D. Jairjes. Ingrow parish church ha* latrlv been thoroughly renovated and repaired at a cost of £1500, -and a fin© men's institute has been erected, with assembly hall,, billiard room, reading room, and , games Toom. The .cost, £2000. has almost all been paid off. Five years np,o the acts of Communion in Ingrow were only 876 ; laet year they numbered 4048. The men's and women's classes each number nearly 400, and are under the first curate. The junior curate, the Rev. W. D. S. Ogden, who has charge r-f the Church Lads Brigade, Scouts, etc., will follow Mr. Askew to New Zealand about the end of December. He studied at Trinity College, Dublin, was ordained by the Bishop of Cashel, and had benn working in Ireland for some years before going to Ingrow. ,